Week in review: President Oaks dedicates Belo Horizonte Temple – Church News
During the week of Aug. 16-22, President Dallin H. Oaks dedicated the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple on Sunday, Aug. 16.
Also on Sunday, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Cleveland Ohio Temple.
The Church’s Utah Area presidency members announced that Elder Bednar and his wife, Sister Susan Bednar, will speak at the 2026 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference devotional on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke to more than 15,000 attendees at BYU Education Week during the devotional on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Primary General President Rosemary K. Chibota spoke to missionaries at the Provo Missionary Training Center about how the Lord is preparing something powerful for them.
In a series of social media videos, the Young Women general presidency discussed key learnings from studying the “For the Strength of Youth” guide.
The Church News reported on a livestream video by the Young Men general presidency that outlined how youth can keep spiritual momentum.
New exhibits, videos, tours and experiences are coming to Temple Square. In other temple news, ground was broken for the Huntsville Alabama Temple.
In this week’s Church News podcast, Elder Mark A. Bragg, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Family History Department and FamilySearch International, discusses the joy and peace found from family history.
Read summaries and find links to these articles below.
1. President Oaks dedicates Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple
On Sunday Aug. 16, President Oaks dedicated the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple.
This marked President Oaks’ second temple dedication and the 12th temple for the country of Brazil.
“The temple is a house of the Lord, a house built for the sacred work of the Lord God of Israel, our Savior and our Redeemer, to prepare us for exaltation in the celestial kingdom of God,” said President Oaks.
Read more about the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple dedication here.
2. Elder Bednar dedicates Cleveland Ohio Temple, bringing the house of the Lord ‘back home’ to northeast Ohio
The Cleveland Ohio Temple was dedicated on Sunday, Aug. 16, by Elder Bednar. This marks the second dedicated and operating temple in the state of Ohio. The Kirtland Temple, also in northeastern Ohio, is open to the public as a historic site.
“I cannot imagine a more important blessing than having greater access to the power of godliness through the ordinances of the temple,” said Elder Bednar.
Read more about the Cleveland Ohio Temple dedication here.
3. Elder Bednar to speak at 2026 Utah Area YSA Conference devotional
Elder Bednar and his wife, Sister Susan Bednar, will speak at the 2026 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference devotional on Sunday, Sept. 13. As announced by the Utah Area Presidency, the devotional will take place at the Marriott Center at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Read more about the Utah Area YSA Conference devotional here.
4. Elder Kearon invites listeners to slow down and bask in the Savior’s promised peace — right now
During the BYU Education Week devotional, Elder Kearon urged attendees to “slow down.”
On Tuesday, Aug. 18, Elder Kearon addressed a packed Marriott Center for a devotional during the annual conference.
Read more about Elder Kearon’s devotional at BYU here.
5. President Chibota speaks to missionaries of 4 sources of power
During a devotional at the Provo Missionary Training Center, President Chibota counseled missionaries to stay close to Jesus Christ throughout their missions.
President Chibota said the Lord is not simply interested in what the missionaries accomplish as they serve; “He is deeply interested in who you become on your mission.”
Read more about President Chibota’s MTC devotional here.
6. ‘Jesus Christ is your strength,’ Young Women general presidency shares from FSY guide
Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, first counselor, Sister Tamara W. Runia, and second counselor, Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, discussed their learnings from the new FSY guide in a series of videos on social media.
Read about the Young Women general presidency’s live video series here.
7. How youth can turn FSY’s spiritual momentum into lifelong discipleship
In a livestream social media video, the Young Men general presidency outlined how the new Sunday curriculum, weekly activities and daily gospel study can enable youth to walk with Jesus Christ every day.
Read more about the Young Men general presidency’s livestream video here.
8. New experiences coming to Temple Square
New videos, tours and experiences for guests at Temple Square will help visitors learn of Jesus Christ.
These include new exhibits in the Conference Center, projections on the Salt Lake Tabernacle’s domed ceiling and a new theater room in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
Read more about the new changes to Temple Square here.
9. Ground broken for Alabama’s second temple, to be ‘source of strength, light and hope’
After an Aug. 15 groundbreaking, the Huntsville Alabama Temple has now entered the construction phase.
Elder John D. Amos, a General Authority Seventy and member of the Church’s United States Southeast Area presidency, presided at the Saturday event.
Read more about the groundbreaking of the Huntsville Alabama Temple here.
10. Church News podcast, Episode 308: Elder Bragg on family history, records custodians and the gathering of Israel
On this episode of the Church News podcast, Elder Bragg discusses growing the family tree and the joy and peace that come from family history.
“We call it ‘spirit of Elijah,’ but it’s the Holy Ghost directing them in this role, that they feel a responsibility to protect records. And what it does, it allows us to find them and remember them and connect them to their modern-day family,” said Elder Bragg.